Hog Confinement Health Risks

Fumes from Hog Confinements Impact Human & Environmental Health

BY CHRISTINE SCHRUM

Here in Iowa, we're used to a little bit of piggy stink. In recent years, though, as our state’s belly swells with industrialized hog farms, more and more residents are finding the overwhelming odors associated with Confined Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs) unbearable. Moreover, a host of recent research is showing that toxic air emissions from these operations can adversely affect human health.

In 1970, the average Iowa hog farm housed fewer than 200 hogs, whereas in 2000, it spiked up to 1,500, tightly packed. Today, CAFOs operating at maximum capacity can hold up to 10,000 hogs or more. That’s a lot of swine—anda lot of manure to deal with.

Iowa’s livestock churn out an estimated 50 million tons of excrement each year. In industrial-sized hog farms, the manure accumulates as a liquid in pits beneath the confinement building, or in sewage lagoons outside. Naturally, these putrid pools give off an enormous stench.

Health-Hazardous Emissions

But it’s not just a matter of malodor. According to a 2002 jointstudy by Iowa State University and the University of Iowa, the manure pits become anaerobic and putrid, polluting the air with particulate matter and many gases—including ammonia and hydrogen sulfide—that can lead to a wide range of health complaints. Exposure to hydrogen sulfide is known to cause nausea, headaches, diarrhea, and even life-threatening pulmonary edema.

Researchers from the 2002 study concluded that “CAFO air emissionmay constitute a public health hazard and that precautions should be taken to minimize both specific chemical exposures (hydrogen sulfide and ammonia) and mixed exposures (including odor) arising from CAFOs.”

There appears to be ample evidence to support this notion. A 2000 North Carolina study (Wing and Wolf) found that people living in proximity toa 6,000-head hog CAFO reported increased rates of headaches, runny nose, sore throat, excessive coughing, diarrhea, and burning eyes compared to rural residents living far from livestock operations.

A 1995 North Carolina study (Schiffman and colleagues) found that residents who lived in the vicinity of intensive swine operations reported increased negative mood states, including tension, depression, anger, fatigue, confusion, and reduced vigor.

While a 1997 Iowa study (Thu and colleagues) found no increased incidences of depression and anxiety among residents living within two miles of a 4,000-sow CAFO, researchers found that both farm workers and community residents reported higher rates of chest tightness, wheezing, runny nose, scratchy throat, burning eyes, headaches, and plugged ears.

The 2002 UI/ISU study noted that CAFO workers run an extremely high risk of developing respiratory diseases including asthma, acute bronchitis, sinusitis, and rhinitis. Researchers concluded, “The scientific literature is quite clear that workers in swine or poultry CAFOs are at risk to acute and chronic respiratory diseases from concentrated emissions inside CAFOs.”

On the whole, CAFO workers are known to be a hearty bunch. But as the authors of the 2002 UI/ISU study pointed out, “Those in the general community, including the children, the elderly, those with chronic impairments such as pre-existing asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, are expected to be much more susceptible to CAFO exposures.”
So what’s being done about all this? Where does Iowa currently stand in terms of healthy air quality standards? Unfortunately, on somewhat stinky, and potentially unhealthy, ground.

The Need for Enforceable Air Quality Standards

In 2003, prompted by pressure from concerned citizens and organizations like Iowa Citizens for Community Improvement (Iowa CCI), the DNR acted to approve air quality standards for CAFO ammonia and hydrogen sulfide emissions, based on the 2002 ISU/UI study authors’ recommendations (no more than 15 parts per billion of hydrogen sulfide, 150 parts per billion of ammonia, and a 7:1 dilution rate for odor). The standards were set in place, but within days, the 2003 Iowa Legislature promptly put a halt to them.

“The legislators were responding to the powerful special interest lobbying of factory farms and not their constituents,” said Carissa Lenfort of Iowa CCI.

In response to the dust kicked up by agribusiness proponents, the 2004 Iowa Legislature passed HF 2523, a bill that would have essentially allowed CAFOs to pollute air with impunity. Fortunately, Governor Vilsack vetoed the bill. Later in the year, the Environmental Protection Commission (EPC), the Iowa DNR’s citizen oversight board, enacted a watered down setof air quality standards that called for no more than 30 parts per billion of hydrogen sulfide.

“It’s a step forward,” says Lenfort, “but the standards definitely need to be strengthened in order to actually protect public health.” As yet, there are no regulations for ammonia or odor. “We’re continuing to say that standards need to be set for those as well,” says Lenfort.

Establishing adequate air quality standards has thus far been an uphill battle, but if Iowa’s residents pull together, the climb is easier. It was only after Iowa CCI members submitted a 6,000-plus signature petition to the EPC calling for air quality standards (in 2001) that the board first began to consider establishing standards at all. Iowa CCI’s efforts eventually led to the joint report by ISU/UI in 2002, which, in turn, led to the establishment of today’s standards.

The home page of Iowa CCI’s webpage reads: “A wise man once wrote that the only solution to any problem is to ‘get to work on it.’ ” Residents who want to be part of the solution to the problem of CAFO air emissions should contact their state representative and senator and let them know they support the 2002 study’s recommendations. They can also visit the Iowa CCI website and click on the “What Can I Do?” link for other action steps.

Taking Control Locally

Another way to move the issue forward is to promote “local control,” which would ensure that each county has ultimate control over when, how, and if proposed CAFOs should be established and maintained in the area.

“Counties have the ability to site schools and other economic developments,” says Lenfort, “They should be allowed to site CAFOs. The local people know the land better than anyone. They know their county.”

Somewhat to this end, in 2004 the state of Iowa established the “Master Matrix,” a 44-question scoring system that purports to help counties maintain local control over CAFOs of 2,500 hogs or more.

Although the Matrix requires CAFO operators to meet standards in three categories (water, air, and community impacts), the system is often criticized for being somewhat lax. To date, the Matrix has yet to deny a single CAFO permit.

“It’s kind of a token thing in my mind,” says Iowa dairy farmer Francis Thicke, who is a member of the EPC and has written extensively on sustainable farming practices. “It’s a compromise. Several years ago when there was a push for local control, the farm lobbyists pushed back. It doesn’t equal local control, by any means,” he said.

So what can residents do to help establish local control?

“Contact your legislative reps, help get the message out there,” says Lenfort. “Join Iowa CCI and ask for local control. It’s going to take a lot of work, because we realize that factory farms have a lot of power and resources, and when you’re taking on powerful opponents, the fight’s always stronger.”

Interestingly, Iowa’s residents already seem largely in favor of local control. An informal 2001 survey by the Des Moines Register found that 71 percent of Iowans want local control, 9 percent are undecided, and a mere 20 percent are in favor of CAFOs. According to recent reports, there have been as many CAFO permit applications within the past six months of 2005 as there were in all of 2004. So if community members want to have moresay about CAFO siting, they’d be wise to speak up soon.

The New Old Solution

Then again, perhaps there’s an even simpler solution to the problem of noxious fumes emitted from CAFOs. In a recent Sierra Club article entitled “Naturally, Hogs Don’t Stink!” Thicke writes, “Industrial hog-lot manure accumulates in a liquid form, so it becomes anaerobic and putrid. When hogs are on pasture, their manure is dispersed on the soil and is aerobically decomposed, so putrid compounds do not form.”

When farmers raise hogs outdoors, rather than in cooped confinement lots, pigs don’t smell nearly so raunchy. Writes Thicke, “A friend of mine who raises hogs on pasture likes to boast that he can check his hogs on the way into town and nobody can smell that he has.”

It seems that with natural hog-farming, everybody wins. Pigs have healthier, antibiotic-free diets; farm pastures receive natural fertilization; manure lagoons don’t pollute the land, air, creeks, and lakes; and rural homeowners near hog farms don’t have to watch in dismay as their property value is devastated. But what about the farmers—won’t traditional, outdoor hog-farming cut back on profits?

Not across the board. Recent estimates by the Sierra Club state that for every new CAFO established, ten family farms are eliminated or forced to enter into corporate contracts. Today’s CAFO operators are, in Thicke’s words, essentially the “serfs of corporate agribusiness.” At present, four corporations control 59 percent of the hog market. The pigs and feed are provided by these large corporations, but the farmers are responsible for all the liabilities.

As factory farms grow in numbers, family farms diminish across the state. In the end, it seems CAFO proponents may end up being the ones “living high on the hog,” while those of us breathing the toxic fumes are finding new meaning in the expression.

Change—a Whiff Away

Many organizations are striving to ensure today’s hog farms are safe for humans, animals, and the environment, but we still have a ways to go. With education, awareness, and action, the CAFO trend could drastically change.

As Francis Thicke sees it, “Iowa is divided into three groups on the CAFO issue. The first group is extremely small. It’s those people with vested interests, who profit from CAFOs. The second group is a little larger. They’re the locals who’re against CAFOs because they’ve had personal experience with discomfort caused by them. The third groupis the huge majority. They know little about the pitfalls of CAFOs, but they’re just a whiff away from being against them. It’s just a matter of awareness—of enough people waking up and smelling the hydrogen sulfide.”

Sidebar: Feces Fiascos & Antibiotic Resistance

Certainly there are other health risks associated with CAFOs. In 1995, an eight-acre hog waste lagoon in North Carolina burst, releasing 25 million gallons of hog refuse into Onslow County. The spill killed as many as 10 million fish and closed 364,000 acres of coastal wetlands to shellfishing. Smaller spills are common, and often closer to home than Iowans imagine. In 1996, for example, 40 spills in Iowa, Minnesota, and Missouri killed close to 700,000 fish. In 1997, Indiana feedlots caused a total of 2,391 manure spills. A 100,000-gallon spill in 1998 killed close to 700,000 fish in Minnesota’s Beaver Creek.

And then there’s the issue of antibiotic resistance. Large-scale animal farms often feed animals antibiotics (U.S. farmers dole out atotal of 24.6 million pounds each year) to promote growth and treat diseases caused by overcrowded conditions. These antibiotics are making their way into the environment and the food chain, contributing to the rise of antibiotic-resistant bacteria and making it more difficult to treat human diseases.

There’s hope on both counts. North Carolina imposed an eagerly welcomed moratorium on new hog CAFOs in 1997, after the record-setting spill in Onslow County. The moratorium has been extended a number of times and is currently in place until 2007. As for the issue of antibiotic resistance, the American Medical Association recently went on record opposing the non-therapeutic uses of antibiotics in agriculture. Experience—themother of wisdom. Let’s hope Iowa wisens up.

I have a hog confinement less then 1200 feet from my house and three others within 3 miles. I can't leave my windows down on nice days for fear the wind will shift and the house will smell. Shad Smith owns the property it sits on in Fremont County Iowa, Scott Township Southwest Iowa. I bought my property from him in 1999. When this confinement was being built 2 plus years ago Mr. Smith reassured me that I would not even know they were there, he is so wrong about that, I smell them just about every day. I am starting to feel some health issues big time, having a hard time with my breathing and am tired much of the time, I feel there is not much one can do other then relocate to another State. If there is help out there I would appreciate some contact information.

report abuse

vote down

vote up

Votes: +1

...written by Jonathan,
February 16, 2012

This is a very good, though scary, article. I worry about my exposure to other respiratory ailments, including asbestos exposure. I read here that there is still asbestos in some schools, and it worried me a lot.

report abuse

vote down

vote up

Votes: +1

...written by Sara,
March 16, 2011

Hi all- I am a law student currently working on several projects related to factory farming and the health effects of CAFOs on residents. I'm not sure if anyone is still checking the comments section here, but if you live near a CAFO and have a story to tell, I would love to talk to you! Please email me at:
This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

Also, to the article author: I would love to get in touch with you as well to find out more info about the sources you used, specifically the research studies on health effects.

Thanks!

report abuse

vote down

vote up

Votes: +1

...written by ex- confinement worker,
December 23, 2010

I will just say that I worked at a hog confinement for just over three years and have permanent damage done to my lungs and health in general. I cant say what corporation i worked for, but I will say it was located in S.E. Iowa. The company actually terminated me after they deemed my health was unfit for me to return to work.

If you ever worked inside one of these confinements, anyone of you, I guarantee you would agree this is not the way animals were intended to be raised even for food. The health risks involved with the employees that work in these places is unreal. I was an average younger person in pretty good health before I started, and now I'm without a job and sick every damn day of my life because of that of that place. The companies dont care about the animals all they do is use the animals reproductive systems over and over again until they are done with them and then send them out the door to pork vendors for sausage or whatever they can do with them. They care that little about the animals. Truly I tell you they care far less about their employees than they do even the animals. Very Very sad!!

having incurred 30,000 dollars worth of medical bills because my neighbor SPRAYS LIQUID HOG MANURE rather than knifing it into the soil....I can tell you that insurance won't cover all the bills hog waste will create because of illnesses one must suffer from hog manure.

My neighbor literally SPRAYed me with hog manure....as he used 1970's tank to dump manure next to his hog barn, rather than drive down the road to some 2000 other acres ...thinks it is funny that "city girl who retired to local village can't stand hog smell"....BUT I AM FIFTH GENERATION FARMER, WHO GREW UP RAISING HOGS THE RIGHT WAY! NOT IN A CAGE, NOT OVER THEIR MANURE FOR THEIR ENTIRE LIVES, EATING ANTIBIOTICS TO STAY ALIVE.

Corporate serfs are Ignorant Americans....but Corporations OWN Governor Daniels in Indiana, who is off to China this week to SELL MORE PORK RAISED THE EXACT WAY THE COMMUNISTS WANT US TO RAISE HOGS! INDIANA is Third World Sewage Disposal location for hog manure!

report abuse

vote down

vote up

Votes: +7

...written by Retiree in Iowa,
September 29, 2010

We have a house in Iowa that we are planning on moving into when we retire. We moved from Iowa 22 years ago because of the farming crisis but are coming back in a few short years. Now we find that a hog confinement is going up 1/2 mile from us! When we purchased the property, we felt safe that no confinments would be built in that area. So much for dreams! Ours is now ruined due to this confinement! We are all for agriculture but this isn't a family farm but rather a large company making money while ruining our property value. Maybe we should reconsider moving back to Iowa at all!

Go to the capitol with ideas? We have the best government that money (Farm Bureau) can buy. Hog farmers don't need numbers, they just own the representatives in Des Moines so they stink up the neighborhood, pollute the water underground from your lagoons and pits and generally rule the neighborhood and destroy property values. Oh, and "Have a nice day!" (And did you know they have legislation that gives them tax breaks on their new buildings and big pickup trucks. It's nice to know my taxes are taking up the slack for the taxes they don't pay. THANKS FARM BUREAU!

By the way, did you know the "Right to Farm" legislation was declared unconstitutional in 2004?

report abuse

vote down

vote up

Votes: +3

...written by wouldntyou like to know,
April 07, 2009

So I live on a small family farm and we raised hogs for 50yrs. Realistically the hog confinement corporations put us out of business. Its depressing to see young people wanting to raise hogs in a more traditional small farm atmosphere, but simply cant since financially the government status wont allow it. Unfortunately hog confinements are disease stricken, unnatural, abusive environments. Now harry larry its been proven that hog confinements cause respiratory problems, but yes only to those who work inside them. Now look at the bigger picture, obviously that horrid smell is coming from the acid waste pits, besides smellling bad, without proper control the waste is polluting the land. Conservation suffers, our water ways are ruined with fish dying and drinking water ruined. Now girls, if the smell is the only thing your worried about then you need a reality check. Instead of putting up worthless arguments with ignorant harry larry, and stating shallow uneducated and unintelligent blogs on here, go to your count extension and conservation and start working on a reasonable arguement to pass onto the capital.

Katie- I would further like to speak with you about your little sister's friend's brother. Could you please e-mail me or give me some contact information for yourself?
This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
is my email address